Laura spun around in alarm and bolted towards the door, planning to escape.

But before she reached the door, an arm wrapped around her waist firmly, and another hand covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming for help. ​​

She struggled to free herself from the stranger's iron grip.

She accidentally dropped the mini-flashlight she was holding in her hand. She fought valiantly against the hands that dragged her inside one of the rooms. "Let me go!" she screamed.

She sinks her teeth on the hands covering her mouth and got rewarded by being thrown into the bed.

Suddenly the person who dragged her inside the bedroom switched on the fluorescent light.

Light flooded the entire room, Laura finally saw the face of her attacker!

Laura was stunned. "Cooper!?" she asked wide-eyed.

Cooper looked at Laura feigning shock. "Oh, my, who's here? I thought I caught a thief! Who would ever think that my wife would be sneaking around in the middle of the night and enter my brother's house without permission? Why are you here?" he bombarded her with questions.

Laura groaned. Dang! She was caught by Cooper, of all people! She would rather willing to be caught by a servant than him.

She was about to get up and leave the room but Cooper pushed her back in the bed. She caught a glimmer of lust in his eyes.

"Where are you going, my dear wife?" Cooper grinned, looking at her with malicious intent.

She edges away from him, putting a distance between them.

"You haven't answered my questions yet? What are you doing in my brother's house in the middle of the night? Where you expecting that he will magically appear here?" he asked again.

Laura breathed deeply and lowered her gaze.

"Answer me!" Cooper said angrily.

Laura looked at him. "None of your business," she said in a low voice trying not to antagonize him. What she wanted right now is to go back to her room and retire for the night. "I want to go back to my room," she said.

"Oh, not that easy, dear wife. Since you're already here, why don't we indulge ourselves in some romancing in this bed before we head back to our respective room in the mansion?" he suggested to her obscenely.

Laura groaned. "Behave yourself, Cooper. No touching, no kissing and no intimate moments before the wedding, that's my rule," she told him calmly.

Cooper chortled, amused by her response. "You dare thwart my advances - when here you are - gladly entering my brother's house in the middle of the night? If my brother is here, do you want to offer your body to him?"

Laura didn't reply.

"Besides, why are you playing hard to get my dear when we are about to get married after three months?" he asked in a mocking tone, slowly getting in the bed, looking at her face intently.

A look of panic flashed on Laura's face. Oh no! Cooper is coming after her and she knew very well what does he want from her tonight. She must escape this place now!

She was about to get up from the bed and run for the door but suddenly, Cooper sprayed something on her face, a powdery substance that stung her eyes and when she inhaled it, she started to feel groggy and sleepy. She crumbled into bed.

Cooper peered at her half-closed eyes. "My dear wife, no need to escape away from me. We will get married soon. Besides I have all intention to get you pregnant soon so that you don't have to offer your body to my brother anymore. By getting you pregnant with my child, you will finally stop fantasizing about my brother! Tonight I'm going to get you pregnant!" he grinned maniacally.

Laura's eyes widened in horror...she was trying to kick him away from her because he was crowding her space but her limbs won't obey the order from her mind. Her mind is fighting to stay awake but her body was succumbing to the sleepiness that she can no longer fight.

Before her eyelids finally shut off, she saw Cooper's mouth coming closer to her lips, her heart and mind were revolting inside. That was the last thing she remembered before pitch darkness completely took over her senses.

...

One hour passed.

...

Laura's eyelids fluttered...

The fluorescent light in the ceiling was still shining brightly.

She opened her eyes wide and noticed that she's still in the same room... and beside her was Cooper... lying on the bed.

Huge relief washed over her as she noticed that... she and Cooper still wore their clothes on their bodies, intact! This means no sexual activity happened between the two of them!

Huh? Her brows knitted together... but what happened to Cooper? The last thing she remembered - she passed out and Cooper's mouth was coming to claim her lips! That's it! She recalled it now. Then she had no idea what happened after darkness took over her senses.

Was Cooper dead already?

She was feeling nervous all of a sudden. What's going on? Did he suffer a heart attack while trying to force himself on her since he has a high blood pressure problem? She observed his breathing, he seemed to be breathing fine, evidence was the regular rise and fall of his chest.

Good, he's still alive!

She took a deep breath and calmed her nerves. What's she's going to do now?

Leave Cooper alone here in the room? Or alert the servant so that they can transfer Cooper back to his room...but if she does that... the servants and Sir Nicholas will eventually know what she had done in the middle of the night in Graven's house.

No, she doesn't like explaining to everyone why she was inside Graven's room in the middle of the night. She must leave the house quietly and return to her room upstairs in the mansion. She must act quickly before the break of dawn appears on the horizon and the servants will wake up!

She must move fast!

She left the bed, and hurriedly slid her feet into her slippers on the floor. She dashed towards the door to escape the place.

But before her right hand can reach the doorknob...the door suddenly opened!